Dan Barrick / NHPR
Granite Staters woke up to the news Tuesday that federal health agencies had recommended a pause on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after rare blood clots developed in six women who received it. Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said ta review of the vaccine would likely take a matter of days” and that the agencies are acting out of an abundance of caution.
While the announcement called for a quick pivot, state health officials in New Hampshire say they were able to allocate Moderna vaccines in place of Johnson & Johnson. Vaccine providers were already expecting less Johnson & Johnson this week because of production challenges. Gov. Chris Sununu says he s confident that the pause will not slow down the vaccine rollout here.
Dan Tuohy / NHPR
A large college graduation is the stuff of nightmares for epidemiologists during a global pandemic.
The sheer number of people that attend violates, by a hundred fold, one of the cardinal rules of public health: gather, if you gather at all, in small groups. Family members who’ve traveled from across the country to sit in densely packed sports stands spew spittle as they scream their graduate’s name. Thousands of people embrace each other at almost every opportunity they hug friends, kiss family, shake professors’ hands.
This spring, the University of New Hampshire will attempt to transform a celebration ripe with transmission opportunities into a COVID-safe event. If successful, the event may serve as a blueprint for organizers hoping to bring thousands of people together while the pandemic drags on.
Credit Dan Tuohy / NHPR
Gov. Chris Sununu remains adamant that out-of-state college students should not be included in New Hampshire s current vaccine plan, even as the mayors and administrators of college towns are asking him to develop a plan to give vaccines to students who are from out of state. The logistics of students leaving the state for vaccinations and returning to our communities creates the potential for increased spread of the virus among our citizens, said the letter, dated Thursday and signed by leaders in Manchester, Nashua, Keene, Hanover, Plymouth, Henniker, New London and Durham.
Sununu said New Hampshire residents have to come first, and that the out-of-state students are not included in the mathematics that the federal government uses to provide us with the vaccine.
New Hampshire continues to see persistent racial disparities in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, according to the latest data from the state health department
Black and Latino people in New Hampshire have faced disproportionate harm from the COVID-19 pandemic , including higher rates of infection. But they're